Method of hydrating lime.



PATENTED FEB. 26, 1907.

W. S. OSBORNE. METHOD OF HYDRATINGr LIME.

APPLICATION FILED MAE.2,1905.

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' WILLIAM s. OSBORNE, OF MARIETTA, PENNSYLVANIA.

METHOD OF HYDRATING LIME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 26, 1907. 1

Application filed March 2, 1906. Serial No- 248,097.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. OsnonNn,

a citizen of the' United States of America,

and a resident of Marietta, in the county of Lancaster, State of Pennsylvania, have mvented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Hydrating Lime, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a new method of hydrating lime; and the object of my invention is to devise an efficient method for economically carrying out the process of hydration.

In carrying out my invention the lime is finely pulverized, and after having the tailings separated the pulverized material is led into a suspension-chamber, together with a jet of steam, and while in suspension the lime 1s moistened and settles by gravity into mixing-vats, where it is hydrated, while the air is withdrawn in any suitable manner.

With this general statement my invention consists in the method of hydration hereinafter more particularly described in its various steps and then definitely claimed at the end hereof.

In the drawings which accompany and form a part of this application, Figure 1 illustrates in a sectional view the preferable though not necessary embodiment of apparatus for carrying out my invention; Fig. 2, a sectional detail.

Referring now to the details of the aforesaid drawings by numerals, 1 designates a crushing or pulverizing mill,'which may be of any deslred or approved form, from the outlet of which leads a conducting-pipe 3, which vleads to a separator 5 and is arranged when the material is drawn through it by the suction of a fan, as hereinafter described, to

- separate the material so as to deliver the pulverized particles to the outlet 7 ,-while the tailings or heavier or larger particles'descend by ravity through a tailings-spout 9, leading Into the inlet 11 of the mill 1. The separator 5 may be of any desired construction;

but I prefer to use one similar to those shown in my Patents Nos; 710,603, 710,604, and 710,605. In fact, all of these parts may be of any ordinar construction, and my present invention d bes not reside, specifically, in any one of them; but they are each shown in conventional form in order to show a com plete apparatus for carryingout the various steps of my new method of hydration.

Secured on a suitable platform 13, at an and owing to the suction caused by it the finely-pulverized lime is drawn from the separator and propelled through the conduit or conductor 19, which leads the particles of lime into a settling or suspension chamber or receptacle 20, of suitable and appropriate size. This settling-chamber is provided with a closed top, having a ventilating stack 22 leading through the roof of the structure in which the plant is located, and the lower end of the said chamber is formed into a conical delivery-spout 24 of relatively small size.

The delivery end of the conduit or conductor 19 leads into the settling-chamber 20' at-a tangent, so that the finely-pulverized material is caused to travel around the said gentially into the settling-chamber, as just described, it has imparted to it a whirling motion about the chamber, and during this whirling movement the lime particles tend to remain suspended in the whirling air until they have been moistened by the steam, as will be described, whereupon owing to their increase in weight they impinge upon the walls of the chamber and fall. Thus the moistened particles are constantly and auto matically separated from the dry particles, while the latter remain suspended until moistened. In order to perfectly moisten the lime while it is thus in suspension, a source of steam (exhaust-steam may readily and economically be employed) is led intothe conducting-pipe just where it enters the settling-chamber, and the pulverized lime is therefore driven into the chamber 20 with the exhaust-steam, and 'as the lime and steam pass around the suspension-chamber roo for shipment.

- storage-vats, from whence it may be placed in suitable packagps, such as bags, &c., ready '1 ese mixing-vats are designated and 31 and are located ina large .plows or scrapers, hereinafter referred to.

'tling-chamber.

aperture formed in the platform 13, hereinbefore mentioned, and the central vat 30 is of course directly under the outlet of the set- Both of these vats 30 and 31 are located within a large receiving hopper 35 and are supported on beams, of which one is indicated at 37 as passing through the hopper. The beams are provided with suitable journaled rollers 38, and the outer mixingvat 31 is provided with a flanged circular track 38*, which runs on these rollers. The outer vat 31 is also provided with a toothed rim 39, with which meshes a gear-wheel 40 onv a shaft 41, supported in a suitable bearing 45,

resting on the platform 13, the shaft being provided with a pulley 43 to which power may be applied. It will be manifest that when the shaft is rotated the gear-wheel 40, meshing with the circular rack 39, rotates both of the vats, which rotation is permitted owing to the fact that the circular track of the vats rests on the rollers 38, as described.

In order that the moistened material droppin into the vats may be properly mixed, it is 0 course necessary to agitate the material, which causes the lime as it hydrates to overflow the vat and at the same time permits the heavier'unhydr ated lime and the pits to settle, and this is accomplished as follows: A suitable frame is made of two pieces of angleiron 48 and 49, and these are connected together to form a frame adapted to support The outer ends of the angle-iron frame are each bent downwardly, as seen best at 56 in Fig. 1, and are thus supported on the platform 13. From the foregoing it will be evident that while the vats rotate, as before described, this frame is stationary, and in order to agitate the material vertical plows are secured to each arm of the angle-iron frame and project downward into the vats, .so that as the vats are rotated the material is thoroughly mixed.

The large receiving-hopper 35, which has been descrlbed as underneath the vats and as receiving the material from vats, is provided with a contracted lower discharge 62, which conducts the material to the divided chutes 64 and 65, which are provided with the valves or gates 67 and 68, and these chutes lead the material into the lower cooling-vats or storage-bins 70 and 71,- from which it may be-withdrawn into suitable sacks or barrels,

as the case may require. 1

The detailed description has been iven so fully that it is believed that those amiliar with this art will understand my method with outdlfliculty. However, it may be best to concisely state the various steps of my method as follows: Fresh-burnt lime is delivered' to the mill through the inlet-ho' per 1 1 and is finely pulverized by the mill. t is then drawn by the suction of the fan 15 up through the conductor or ipe 3 into the separator,'where the materia l 1s separated, and the finelyulverized material passes throu h the fan, w lo the tailings pass through t e tailings-spout 9 back to the mill. The pulverized material after leaving the fan 15 is blown into the suspension-chamber 20 with exhaust-steam, the material and steam entering said chamber at a tangent, and said material absorbs the moisture of the steam while the former is in suspension, and if the steam does not contain sufficient moisture. the deficiency is sup lied from the waterspray. The material passes around the chamber in suspension, and owing to the fact that the air passes tangentially into the chamber, as before described, it receives a whirling motion, which tends to keep the lime particles suspended until they become sufficiently moistened, when they are ready to descend by gravity, the air in the mean- .the walls of vat 30 into the surrounding vat 31, and as this vat also rotates the material is likewise agitated there and finally overflows the outside walls of vat 31 and falls into the receiving-hopper 35. The agitation just referred to is not violent, but is more in the nature of stirring and is just sufficient to free the pits and unhydrated lime from the hydrated lime and permit them to settle, so that the slaked lime may overflow the outside walls of the vat.' From the lower end of this hopper the material passes through either of the chutes 64 or 65, as the attendant desires, and from thence into the cooling-vats or storage-bins, from which it is withdrawn as desired into. sacks or barrels. chutes 6'4 and 65, with their valves or gates, make it possible to first load one of the cooling-vats or storage-bins, and while the material is cooling there the material may be di- IlO The divided rected into the other bin in a manner easily posed to treat lime by applying Water and stirring-it, and do not claim this broadly, but refer to the appended claims, from which the scope of my invention may be determined.

What I claim as new is 1.' The herein-described method of hydrating lime which consists in finely pulverizing the burnt'lime, conveying it through an airseparator by the use'of an exhaust-fan andcoarse, permitting the coarse material to return to be reground; conveying the fine material and blowing it into a suspension-chamber subjecting the fine material to the action of moisture while in suspension, permitting said material to settle into vats, and causing the finer particles to overflow said vats and goofing the material in closed vats or storage- 3. The herein-described method of hydrating lime which consists in finely pulverizing the burnt lime, delivering the same into a chamber in a state of suspension, subjecting said material to the action of steam or water while in suspension, permitting said material to settle into a vat, agitating the lime therein and causing it to overflow, while hydrating,

and permitting the coarser or unhydrated lime and the pits to'settle.

4. The hereindescribed method of hydration, which consists in reducing material to a fine or pulverulent condition, suspending it in a current of air with steam or water, and.

maintaining it thus in suspension by agitation of the air in a closed chamber until the particles of the material are moistened by the causing the air and steam or water to have a whirling movement in a chamber so as to separate the moistened particles from the current oian' and steam or water, while maintaining the unmoistened particles in suspenslon.

6. The herein-described method of hydrating lime, which consists in reducing the lime to a fine or pulverulent condition, moistening the lime, agitating it in a mass until the unhydrated particles settle, thereby separating the hydrated particles from the unhydrated, and subjecting the unhydrated to further agitation.

7. The herein-described method of hydrat ing lime, which consists in reducing the lime to a fine or pulverulent condition, moistening the lime, delivering the moistened fime con tinuously to a mass, agitating the mass, thereby permitting the powdery slaked lime to rise to the top of the mass and escape, and retaining the lower portions of the mass for further agitation.

8. The herein-described method of hydrating lime which consists in conveying pulverized lime into a sus ension-chamber; subjecting said pulverize material to the action of moisture while in suspension; permitting said material to settle; and mixing the moistened material by agitation.

9. The herein-described method of hydrat ing lime which consists in conveying pulverized lime into a suspension-chamber; subjecting said pulverized lime to the action of moisture while in suspension; permitting said material to settle into a vat; and causing the ture while in suspension; permitting said ma-' terial to settle into a vat; causing the finer particles to overflow said vat; and cooling the material while inclosed.

11. The herein-described method of hydrating lime which consists in delivering finely-pulverized limeinto a suspensionchamber; subjecting said material to the action of moisture while in suspension; permitting said material to settle; causingsaid material to overflow whilehydrating and permitting the coarser or unhydrated lime and the pit to settle; and in cooling the material while inclosed.

Signed by me at Marietta-Pennsylvania, this 3d day of October,1904.

WILLIAM SfOSBORNE.

Witnesses:

G. W. OSBORNE, H REA ENGLE. 

